Fort Sumner, New Mexico

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For the military fort charged with interning Native Americans at the Bosque Redondo reservation, see Fort Sumner.

Fort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County^GR6. Fort Sumner is the spring and fall home of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Interesting facts
5 External links

[edit] History

Fort Sumner was a military fort charged with the internment of nearby Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868. It was also a hangout for legendary outlaw Billy the Kid, who was also killed and buried in the town.

[edit] Geography

Fort Sumner is located at 34°28′23″N, 104°14′32″W (34.473162, -104.242232)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 8.7 km² (3.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,249 people, 533 households, and 312 families residing in the village. The population density was 144.8/km² (374.6/mi²). There were 680 housing units at an average density of 78.8/km² (204.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 81.91% White, 0.80% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 15.29% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.28% of the population.

There were 533 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 31.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $19,583, and the median income for a family was $28,625. Males had a median income of $24,722 versus $16,953 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,327. About 20.4% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Interesting facts

In 1866, the US government was holding thousands of Native Indians captive. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving saw business there and decided to sell beef so that the starving captives were fed. This was to lead to the Goodnight-Loving Trail, far enough west so to avoid any contact with mobs wanting the superior Longhorn cattle.